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Reviews

WROC: Paul Gilbert’s First Solo Venture Since Mr Big’s End!

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The guitar virtuoso himself is back with his first solo album in nearly three years. Being a big fan of Mr Big, I’ve been excited for this since it first came across our emails, though I have to say I haven’t listened to much of his solo stuff in the past. We could be in store for anything! But still, if it’s anything like his band projects, we’re in for something special. Let’s dive right in and see what this is like!

Showing off his insane guitar talented right from the offset with some insane soloing, a great riff soon bursts in to start ‘Keep Your Feet Firm and Even’ off strong. The vocals soon come over the top and is surprisingly catchy for a verse! And still, it all builds to a HUGE chorus, the harmonies making it even bigger. It hooked me immediately and I already expect it to be stuck in my head for the rest of the day. We also get some more absolutely insane, blistering soloing tucked away in the middle of this. I love it dropping down to simple bass and drums to really highlight the guitar more, and builds up steadily again into the stomping stuff for the final parts. I love the melody of the main riff coming back as a solo too, real masterful playing and writing. And another big final chorus and solo takes us home in style. A fantastic way to open the album, and an easy early-album highlight!

‘Show Not Yourself Glad’ instantly kicks things up a notch into pure punk territory, and I’m all here for it! It does drop back in the verses to a more soft-rock style, and honestly the lyrics felt a little too on-the-nose for me. However, the harmonies are still fantastic, almost giving more of an ELO vibe. The two parts fit together far better than they have any right to. We also get some awesome soloing over a slower, stripped back bridge, feeling very reminiscent of his Mr Big days. His talent really is off the charts, and is highlighted perfectly here. And ending on that insane solo was definitely the right call!

‘Maintaining a Sweet and Cheerful Countenance’ keeps the pace high but dips back into his blues sound. I want to highlight his band at this point too, as both the bass and drums is going hard throughout, almost as hard as Gilbert goes. Once again the lyrics are a little blunt, repeating the song title an awful lot, but the instrumentation is so good it’s hard not to love it! The same can be said for tracks like, ‘Go Not Thither’, ‘Let Thy Carriage’ and ‘Turn Not Your Back’ all being blues and prog infused bangers. They have a similar structure of lower energy verses and sometimes choruses, while having some heavier instrumentation around them. And of course, the guitaring is the big highlight through them all! The latter is a big personal highlight of the album as a whole, giving off big Electric Boys vibes in the best ways. A track that easily makes it onto our playlist!

‘Orderly and Distinctly’ is a bit slower in pace again, and also feels a bit pop-infused as well as soft rock. It feels more like a ballad track of the album, and perfectly placed too to break up the higher pacing so far! It’s a pretty beautiful song, and the lyrics here are much more interestingly written than other tracks on the release. It gives more of a Floyd or even Beatles vibe, but definitely in a good way! And we also get another amazing solo tucked away in the middle, once again melting my face off. Another clear highlight!

Tracks like ‘If you Soak Bread in the Sauce’ and ‘Speak Not Evil…’ are fun, bouncy, bluesy soft rock songs. Again, both are great songs in their own right, but definitely fit together well as a similar sound. The musicianship throughout both is off the charts, and the only reason they’re pushed together here is so I don’t come across as a big old fangirl from repeating the same praise over and over. However, the latter is one of my favourite tracks on the album, and may have my favourite chorus Gilbert has laid down in a good while!

‘Conscience is the Most Certainly Judge’ is another slower track, perfectly breaking up the rockier songs again. It’s a fun, bouncy song with a pretty decent chorus, but does scream ‘album track’ a little. Meanwhile ‘Every Action Done in Company’ is another prog-blues track that does Gilbert’s lyric-repeating technique to the max. Then you have the incredible riffing of ‘Spark of Celestial Fire’ and a straight-up blues track closes things off with ‘George Washington Rules’. All are good songs in isolation, with the closer being particularly fun and another highlight. However, they do reflect the extended length of the album, and none really bring much new to the release that we haven’t heard already. But still, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a good time listening to any of them, and the bands’ talents are that grand that they could make anything incredible!

Overall: This is a damn good release! As I’ve said multiple times throughout this, Gilbert is an insanely talented musician, and has surrounded himself with the same in his solo band, making this filled with some of the best playing around. And while some of the lyrics are great, overall it’s the weakest part for me. However, it does have some kick-ass, catchy-as-hell choruses! If you are a fan of any of his other work, you’ll surely enjoy this too, and I’d recommend it to anyone even remotely curious or big into 80s and 90s rock!

The Score: 8/10

Reviews

Forest of Forgetting: Eye of Melian Continue to Craft their Own Genre!

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Time for an interesting one! From the brain of Delain’s Martijn Westerholt, and featuring three incredible rock/metal/pop/symphonic musicians, the quartet have crafted some of the most interesting metal-adjacent music around in the last couple of years. It’s so hard to classify, given it is not quite metal but has elements, and orchestral and symphonic and very inspired by epic movie scores. Heck, even they themselves say they’ve created a new genre here. I’ve heard a couple of the singles and am excited to dive in and see what the rest of the release has in store!

The album starts with a beautiful piano melody from Martijn. ‘Of Willows and Shadows’ sets the tone of the release perfectly, building up so many layers, from the strings to percussion to the beautiful vocals. It feels suitably epic by barely 90 seconds in, the chorus sounding massive and surprisingly catchy for the style of music. It definitely has elements of Zimmer and even Elfman, but combined perfectly with a more symphonic metal structure and vibe, making it truly unique. The bridge is fantastic too, it really feeling like the track crescendos into something massive! It’s an absolutely incredible song in its own right, and the perfect way to open the album and hook in new listeners!

Single ‘Symphonica Arcana’ is a track I’m pretty familiar at this point, having listened a fair bit since its release and having had it stuck in my head at least a few times! That opening chorus is incredible and a definite ear-worm. Meanwhile, the instrumentation once again ebs and flows perfectly. And by the time the chorus comes back round it all feels huge, the strings and percussion being the vocals really putting it on another level. It was a truly excellent choice as a single as it incapsulates everything the band do so well, and is such a fantastic listen. If you haven’t checked this out already, what are you doing? Listen ASAP!

‘Child of Twilight’ focuses on some awesome guitar work to start things off, and the pace is a little higher than the previous tracks. It’s enough of a change of pace to keep me locked in and interested, which was nice! It almost has an Egyptian feel to it at times; it wouldn’t feel out of place in a Mummy movie. It’s another great chorus too, though every vocal part is so beautifully written and sung that it all stands out. Meanwhile, ‘Elixir of Night’ feels more like a whimsical childrens tale soundtrack, going back to the Elfman style perfectly. It’s also pretty short compared to a lot of the rest of the tracks, which honestly did it well. The more stripped-back instrumentation overall was fascinating, not reaching quite heights of the pervious tracks yet still felt monumentous. It’s yet another excellent song, and very much another early-album highlight.

The first single released from the album, ‘Blackthorn Winter’, is another that I’m fairly familiar with. It still doesn’t quite hook me in as much as ‘Symphonia Arcana’ for some reason, but is still a damn good song in its own right. The vocals remain a big high point of the release, and it is very much the same here. However, I also LOVE the violin solo tucked away in the middle of the track, adding even more depth and epicness to the song, as well as being beautiful in its own right. I cannot get over just how well crafted everything about this album is. Every moment, every note seems so very purposeful; the arrangements are phenomenal.

The other original single on the album, the recently released ‘Dawn of Avatars’, features the incredible Patty Gurdy and Troy Donockley as a guests. It starts out a little bigger than a lot of the rest of the album, instantly feeling grandiose. And it’s not long before both guests get highlighted, with Troy’s pipe-work prevalent early on and being a constant, great presence. Patty gets to shine plenty too, her hurry-gurdy playing adding yet another great layer on top of some already incredible instrumentation. It all combines together perfectly to create a truly excellent five minutes of symphonic music, and is another big highlight of the album. A track that easily makes our playlist!

Tracks like ‘Lady of the Night’, the title track, and honestly a lot of the rest of the album, continue the same path and vibe and sound that the first half of the release has set. It isn’t inherently a bad thing, every song is fantastic in its own right. However, I do feel like 12 tracks of a rather similar style is a little much for me, personally. I adore everything up to and including the title track, but the last few after that do start to make the album drag just a touch. Don’t get me wrong, I know this is very much my personal feelings and plenty will love a longer release. And as I said, musically each track is still phenomenal. It just felt like nothing we hadn’t already heard by that point of the album. At least ‘Nepenthe’ is on the shorter side and acts as more of an interlude to the closing track…

Speaking of, the bands cover of Bruce Dickinson’s ‘Tears of the Dragon’ is amazing. I also couldn’t think of a better way to close out the album. The band very much make the track their own, keeping the emotion and weight from the original while making it fit perfectly alongside the other 11 songs on this release. They somehow make it even more epic in the chorus too, the more basic rock band arrangement replaced by strings, bigger percussion and even some subtle horns. It’s a fantastic song as is, and this version is definitely up there alongside the original in terms of quality. And again, it’s the perfect way to close out such a huge album. Amazing stuff!

Overall: This is a really great album! It’s certainly not for everyone, it not containing many elements of traditional pop or rock outside of some of the structures. However, as someone who loves film scores and symphonic music, I absolutely loved it, and it was so fascinating to hear something like this even be possible, let alone crafted this well. If you are at all curious, I’d highly recommend checking out the release as a whole, though those first few tracks are really incredible. They are a band to keep a close eye on moving forward, and I’ll definitely be listening to this a fair bit in the coming weeks and months!

The Score: 8/10

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Mika and Jack Jarrett Blow the Roof Off the AO Arena!

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I would say that this is a bit out there for Overtone, but we already have one review of the wonderful man on here! Still, I wasn’t planning on reviewing this. However, both acts put on such a great show that there was no way I couldn’t rave about it! So, let’s dive right into the show, shall we?

My one gripe of the evening to start things off… why were doors at six if nothing was going to happen until eight? It’s an awful lot of time to drag people into a venue for and just leave them waiting around. They could have easily had a second support band on in this time!

Speaking of support, Jack Garrett was actually someone I wasn’t too interested in heading into it from the tiny bit I’d checked out beforehand. However, talk about winning me over! He is insanely talented, both as a musician and a performer, and I think he got more than just me on his side, as the whole crowd was loving it by the end. Being a one-man-band will never not be impressive, and Jack did it in such a fantastic, fascinating way that it was hard to take my eyes off him while he was blowing my mind. From drums to guitar to keys to vocals, we got a bit of everything, and he was a virtuoso at every bit of it! And, on top of that, he’s an excellent songwriter, as I loved each one he played! His unique blend of indie, pop and blues was infectious, and impossible not to love. To the point where, honestly, I’d have LOVED it with a whole band. The loop pedal stuff is certainly impressive, but I think it lost a little bit of the emotion of the tracks at times, and at times it was clear he was struggling with his stage levels of it all. I completely get wanting to do it all yourself, but I’d have somehow loved it even more with him being a vocalist/guitarist/occasional pianist, with other band members also taking the rest of the parts. Still, it was a great set, and he definitely has a new fan in me!

Having seen Mika at a smaller venue, I had no idea what to expect heading into this. However, I certainly wasn’t expecting the AMAZING show that we got! Starting the show descending from the heavens in a giant industrial hamster wheel was definitely not on my 2026 bingo card. Neither was him strapping himself into it later on and spinning around above the crowd mid-song. However, both added so much to the show, as did the rest of the mechanical stage theming. Add to that the pyro, confetti and the giant inflatable megaphone and rainbow, and it was one hell of a stage show!

As for the music itself, it was just as good as you’d expect it to be! His backing band are absolutely phenomenal musicians, complimenting the main man perfectly while also putting on a good show in their own right, when they could. And, as for Mika, he still has one of the best voices in the game today. His vocal range, even live, still blows me away each time, and his charisma is magnetising. He has more energy and flexibility than I do, and I have a solid 14 years on him! As, setlist-wise, it was everything as good as when we last saw him. Opening with two off his latest album was a slight gamble, even though that’s what the tour was and it sounded incredible. But the moment ‘Relax’ hit, the crowd were locked IN dude, bouncing around and singing along to the very end. And, because of that, I felt like the rest of Hyperlove was received better after. Tracks like ‘Spinning Out’ and ‘Excuses For Love’ were amazing live, and fit perfectly around crowd favourites like ‘Lollipop’ and ‘We Are Golden’. Add to that we got him bring back ‘Popular Song’ (because of course), him taking to the stands during ‘Big Girl’, and the one-two-punch of ‘Grace Kelly’ into ‘Happy Ending’ to close out the main set, and it was a tour de force of everything Mika does brilliantly. By the time ‘Yo Yo’ hit, the crowd was spent, in the best way possible! And absolutely phenomenal set!

And there we have it, yet another incredible night of live music so far this year. Both artist were completely different but phenomenal in their own way, and had the crowd in the palms of their hands through the whole night. How this was Mika’s first time headlining arenas in the UK I do not know, but that man owned the stage as if he’d been on there his whole life. I cannot recommend either artist enough, both on track and live, and have listened to both plenty over the weekend!

Reviews

We Mean It, Man!: The Album to Push Gogol Bordello Back to the Top?

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The gypsy punk pioneers are back with their 10th studio album that dropped just today! Being their first release since 2022, as well as myself being a big fan of the band and style in general, meant there was no way I wasn’t giving this my full attention. I’ve been hyped for it for a while, and the singles so far have been great! Without further ado, let’s dive in!

The title track opens things up fantastically, an almost tribal chant leading a surprisingly heavy riff. The fiddle still adds plenty of folk elements to it, though the production is massive and the futuristic voice hints at something bigger. The verse is great and the chorus, while simple, is infectiously catchy and will go down a storm live with the call-and-response vocals. Speaking of the vocals, the lyrics are fantastic, calling out the current climate of the world in perfect punk fashion. And, instrumentally, everyone is working their ass off, crafting something perfectly chaotic and punky and folky and heavy all in the best ways. This is ‘gypsy punk’ at its very finest, and an excellent way to open the album!

The pace slows a little with ‘Life is Possible Again’, having a slight post-punk/industrial feel with the heavy emphasis on drums. The backing vocals are a big highlight of the track, making so much of it feel massive and so very catchy. It definitely has more of a pop-vibe to it than the heavier previous track, but both feel distinctly Gogol Bordello; doing their own thing in a way only they can. I love that they really let the instruments do the talking too, everyone getting a chance to shine throughout each track. Another incredible song, and a big early high point!

‘No Time for Idiots’ keeps the steadier pace of the last track but definitely ups the punk and the folk vibes. The whole track seems to build up to and around that incredible chorus, clearly written to be played to huge crowds around the world. It again feels more radio-friendly a track, maybe because it just made me want to dance throughout! It’s a simple track but a damn fun one, and one I am desperate to see live!

Single and ridiculously titled ‘Hater Liquidator’ feels very Gogol, and I mean that as the uttermost of compliments! It almost has a halloween-esque feeling with the opening riff, immediately setting things off in a quirky direction. Then we get the fun, polka verse and the pure punk chorus, some ‘la’s over the top of the melody after for good measure. And once again, the backing vocals putting emphasis on a few lines in the verses, as well as jumping in in the choruses, make it all feel massive, really feeling like the big gang of a band it is. It drops down for a great little bridge, only making the chorus feel even bigger when it builds back up to it. It’s an incredibly fun song and it’s easy to see why it was picked as a single. It’s one that easily makes our playlist!

‘Boiling Point’ is one of three tracks on the album to feature a guest. All of them are amazing songs, and completely different, complimenting the features perfectly. ‘Boiling Point’ is a slower, acoustic number, having elements of dark folk as well as the traditional Ukranian sound they do so well. And, Grace Bergere’s vocal harmonies were honestly beautiful throughout it. Meanwhile ‘From Boyarka to Boyaca’ features its guest Puzzled Panther a little more prominently, here getting some awesome solo vocal lines. The pace of the track is a bit up and down, the dynamics being fantastic.

Finally, album closer ‘Solidarity’, is an epic, electronica-infused track, and Bernard Sumner adds so much with his vocals. It’s an incredible track made in… well… solidarity… with Eugene’s home nation, and it’s hard not to feel the emotion with every word. It honestly gave me goosebumps, and how this isn’t an absolutely massive track is beyond me. It felt different to the rest of the album too, though that may have been Nick Launay’s mix. All three are incredible tracks, but yeah, the latter is definitely a huge highlight of the album as a whole, and one I would urge anyone to check out. It also closes the album on suitably grandiose fashion!

Back to the band’s solo stuff, ‘Ignition’ is glorious Europop-infused gypsy punk. It’s yet another damn fun track. Then you have the likes of ‘Mystics’ and ‘State of Shock’ are massive, almost metal-infused songs. The violin is a big focus of both, which was excellent, and almost made the latter feel like a Bond song at times. It also gave vague Biffy vibes; two very different styles, I know! All are great songs in their own right, but also fit in with the theme and vibe of the album pretty perfectly!

The other two tracks on the album, ‘We did Good…’ and ‘Crayons’ are also bangers, honestly. Again, they very much keep up the gypsy punk vibe the band are known for, but both feel different in their own right. And, both are a lot of fun, while also having pretty fantastic, emotion-filled lyrics. While both are more ‘album-tracks’, they are not to be skipped, and definitely help to make this album one to listen to from front to back if and when you get the chance.

Overall: This is an excellent release! Every song is amazing, while some I’d honestly put up there with the bands best. And, as an album as a whole, it matches up alongside Super Taranta! or even Gypsy Punks itself. It’s a lot of fun and blends together every influence the band has into a fantastic melting pot of punk, polka and rock, much like the band themselves. I’ll certainly be spinning this a lot moving forward, and is a must-listen for anyone even slightly interested!

The Score: 9/10

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Preacher Stone, Revenant and Eddie & The Wolves Rock the Old Cold Store!

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An apt name for a venue, as it was bloody cold last Friday when we arrived at the venue (part of the INCREDIBLE Castle Rock Brewery). However, we had three awesome rock bands to warm us up with, and they did exactly that! Somehow it was my first time seeing both Preacher and Revenant, though I’d been a fan for years, so to say I was excited was an understatement! Let’s dive right into the night’s fun, shall we?

Eddie & The Wolves opened the show and killed it if I do say so myself. Those who came down early saw, I’d like to thing, a good hard rock set! As usual, I’d like to thank everyone that came down to watch us, brought our merch, gave us such kind words, you’re all the reason the four of us do it. And, while I’m happy to tongue-in-cheek type here that we put on ‘the best set of all time, and anyone who missed it will never see something so glorious’, I just hope that we gave people an enjoyable half an hour! I had a blast up on stage, and I know the other three did too, and it sounded good to us, at least!

Next up were the incredible Revenant. They’ve been building a lot of momentum over the last couple of years with a handful of great EPs, and that momentum truly carries over to their stage show. The four-piece filled the room with their energy, and sounded just as good live as they do on track. Opening on the run of maybe my two favourite tracks from them, ‘Public Service Announcement’ into ‘Best Medicine’, before blasting through a lot of the rest of their awesome three EPs, it was one hell of a setlist. And the band put their all into playing each and every track! The bands stage presence as a whole is undeniable, and Sugarman held the crowd in the palm of his hand throughout. The band have put in the work to get to where they are at, and it couldn’t happen to a more deserving bunch!

After a short break, the legendary headliners took to the stage. The North Carolinan Southern rockers have really been embraced over here in recent years, which reflected perfectly in their ability to pull off a headline tour like this to a packed out, adoring crowd. I still spin By the Horns now, so for it to get so much love in the set (I mean, it was the tours namesake) was awesome. However, having never seen them live before, getting to hear the classics was also amazing! From ‘Old Joe’ and ‘Writing on the Wall’ to ‘Olf Fashioned Ass Whoopin’…’ and ‘Not Today’ we got a great spread of their back catalogue, a journey through the bands whole career. Ronnie is still one of the best frontmen in the genre some nearly 20 years into the band, and the rest of the guys compliment him perfectly. Special shoutout to drummer Josh Wyatt, he blew me away not just in his solo but throughout the whole set, what a phenomenal talent! The whole band were excellent from start to finish though, playing their asses off and keeping the crowd singing and clapping along throughout!

And there you have it folks, another great night for underground (ish) rock music! What more could you ask for? Three incredible bands working their ass off, a good venue, a great crowd, and surrounded by great beer! All the wins! I cannot recommend any of the bands or the venue enough, check them all out our as soon as you possibly can. I already need to see Revenant and Preacher again, and hopefully we can get a run-back of the whole tour sometime in the future!

Reviews

Another Year Older: Larry Fleet’s Best Album Yet?

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The incredible Larry Fleet is set to release his highly anticipated new album this coming Friday. His unique brand of folky, soul-filled country music is awesome. We’re big fans of him here at Overtone, but on track and live, and have been waiting rather impatiently for this for a while! Let’s dive right in!

‘More of That’ opens things up in perfectly chilled-out fashion. His amazing country-soul sound shines through perfectly with the acoustic instrumentation and his powerful vocals. The positivity through the track is awesome too, and very much up Larry’s street in terms of theming. The chorus, while still fairly simple, is a bit bigger in terms of instrumentation, and incredibly catchy. There’s a slight hint of southern rock to the track too, especially when they drums kick in a bit more in the chorus and second verse. And we get some awesome little lead guitar licks throughout too, always catching my ear. It’s an amazing song in its own right, and the perfect way to open an album like this!

The steady, acoustic-folk pace continues through ‘Baseball on the Radio’. A simple verse builds perfectly into another huge chorus, designed to be played to huge festival crowds. It’s beautiful, and once again just fantastic, feel good music. Fleet is such a great storyteller, and really makes you live in each moment with him on tracks like this. Lyrically it’s fantastic, and his vocals are as smooth as butter. It’s impossible not to love it, and it’s another great song. One easily for the playlist!

‘Hotel Bible’ and ‘5:25’ continue the same style of slower, simple acoustic-country. Both are great songs, with the latter even being a big highlight of mine. However, both are pretty similar and it’s hard not to group them together, especially if I don’t want this review to run for ages and be me gushing like a fangirl throughout!

‘If These Walls Could Talk’ picks up not only the pace, but also the rock and the soul again. The organ was a nice touch, adding even more depth to the song, and the drums keeping a steady pace throughout for the guitars to play off was great. And, it once again builds to an awesome chorus, maybe my favourite on the album! It gives off vibes of everyone from Drake White to War & Treaty, and I can’t get enough. Some awesome guitars run through the bridge and the final chorus too, once again adding so much to the sound. Another massive highlight track, and one of my favourites he may have ever done!

Other tracks like ‘Both Sides of the Fence’, ‘Another Year Older’ and ‘If I Still Was’ are more typically steady Larry Fleet songs, packed full of beautiful vocals and some really thought-provoking lyrics. Whether it’s mourning the passing of a loved one or the differences between us all, or being newly sober, it’s all done in such an insanely relatable way. Larry has somehow become an even better songwriter and lyricist than he was before, and it makes every single song on this release stand out, even when some have pretty similar vibes and pacing.

Meanwhile, ‘Whole Lotta Little Things’ and ‘Drunk Advice’ are more rockier numbers. It’s very much Southern rock, and on the slower side of it, but the change of pace was nice after a few folkier numbers. The soul is still very much present in both tracks too, which I always love from him. The latter here is another big highlight for me, but both are awesome tracks in their own right! Definitely worth checking them out if you like the more southern side of country!

The closer, ‘American Made’, feels like a culmination of everything before it. A slightly higher pace, some rocky instrumentation, yet plenty of folk and powerful lyrics and delivery, too. Oh, and it’s yet another phenomenal chorus. It’s another song up there with one of my favourites from the guy! It’s a great way to cap off the album too, showing off everything he does so well!

Overall: This is an awesome release! It’s exactly what I expected from Larry from a sound and a quality perspective, and he once again knocked it out of the park. Every song is amazing and really gives the listener an insight into his life and the music that inspires him, while there are more than a couple of massive highlights! If you are at all a fan of Larry or his particular blend of country music, this is an absolute must for you. It’s easily up there with his previous three albums, and the perfect follow-up to Somewhere in the South. I’ll definitely be spinning this plenty in the coming weeks!

The Score: 9/10

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Midnight Blitz: Do Tailgunner Top their Debut with Napalm and KK?

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The NWOBHM revivalists have had an insane few years, forming back in just 2022 and dropping their excellent debut just a year later. Fast forward to now, and they have played with some of the biggest names in metal across the UK and Europe, signed to the mighty Napalm records, and had this sophomore release produced by none other than the legendary KK Downing. And all of these things are more than deserved! The band are amazing live and there is little wonder this is on our most anticipated albums of the year list. The singles have been awesome so far, and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into the full album!

The title track starts things off perfectly, with a massive guitar/synth melody as the rest of the instrumentation builds epically behind it. it then explodes into a massive verse, the perfect combination of NWOBHM and 2000s European power metal. Think Priest meets Hammerfall (the perfect touring partners at the start of the year!). The energy and pace continues through the chorus, yet it definitely has a catchy element to it, too! The harmonies and backing vocals on it are awesome as well, making it sound somehow even bigger. We get a fantastic, very Adrian Smith-like guitar solo (or two) in the middle, being as much a standout moment of the track as anything else. It’s a balls-to-the-wall track from start to finish and the absolute perfect way to open things up. A definite early highlight!

‘Tears in Rain’ opens on a great, Maiden-y riff, and drops back awesomely in the verse; no guitars in the first half of it. They build back in halfway through, chugging the steady, solid pace of the drums and bass, and it all builds even more into a HUGE chorus. It’s surprisingly brief, but I found myself almost impatiently waiting for it to come back around each time. And of course, all the soloing is so good. It almost feels like a lost art form especially for a UK band, to do two plus separate solo sections, but it keeps it constantly interesting and gives everything time to breath, as well as making it even more epic! I’m already obsessed with this song, and it’s one that very easily made our playlist! Two for two so far on excellent tracks!

The epic vibes continue through ‘Follow Me in Death’, another fast-paced track full of plenty of double kick and insanely technical guitaring. Craig’s vocals are as amazing as ever on this too; soaring and powerful, showing off that he really is one of the most underrated frontmen around today. It all again builds to that massive, arena-filling chorus that the band have really nailed on this album, sure to be stuck in my head for days to come! Especially with all those vocal harmonies on it too, making it sound absolutely huge. It also has one of my favourite solos on the whole album, really putting plenty of feeling into the impressively technical playing. This is another massive highlight of the album, and another to make our playlist!

Tracks like ‘Dead Until Dark’, ‘Blood Sacrifice’ and ‘Night Raids’ all carry the energy of the rest of the album through perfectly. All are excellent songs in their own right, but do all have a similar vibe, not that that’s a bad thing. There’s a slight air of AOR about them too, giving off vague H.E.A.T. feelings in the best way. From the massive choruses to the sweeping guitar solos, they’re all so good! The latter in particular is fantastic and another favourite track of mine from the release!

‘Barren Lands and Seas of Red’ is a straight up thrash metal song, and I love it! It’s lightning quick, Painkiller-esque pace is awesome, yet the melodic guitar is also straight up Iron Maiden in the absolute best way. And once again, the chorus is amazing, designed to be played to huge festival crowds around the world! The solo once again is absolutely incredible too, showing that Rhea and Zach are just as underrated as Craig is! The whole band are insanely talented though; shoutout to both Tom Hewson and Eddie Mariotti for working their asses off throughout, too. This is an amazing track blending together every single one of their influences, from NWOBHM to power metal to AOR. Another absolutely massive highlight, and one I’ll be listening to a lot moving forward!

The ballad of the album, ‘War in Heaven’, goes just as hard as anything else on it. Starting with a fantastic, retro-synth intro, the beautiful clean guitars soon come in, with Craig’s vocals fitting amazingly over the top. It all builds perfectly with the drums and distorted guitars coming in for the pre and then the typically massive chorus. The synth staying present throughout was a nice touch, keeping its weight and epicness. It’s also perfectly placed on the album; halfway through and after the heaviest track, breaking things up perfectly! If you are into the slower side of metal, this is definitely one for you. And, though I’m sick of saying it, another huge highlight on an album packed full of them!

The final two tracks on the album, ‘Eye of the Storm’ and ‘Eulogy’ are the perfect one-two-punch to end the album. The former, while still heavy, is a bit more ballad-like, having a slightly slower pace and stripped back first verse, contrasting perfectly with the massive, heavier choruses. It almost reminds me of BFMV at times, like a ‘Hearts Burst into Fire’ or ‘Bittersweet Memories’, which surprised me but was also a more than welcome element to their sound! Meanwhile, the closer is a near-seven-minute epic that honestly draws together everything before it. You want epic guitaring and riffs? Soaring vocals and huge choruses? Insane drumming? This has all of it in spades! It’s yet another big highlight of the release, and closes the album in perfect fashion. Damn, amazing!

Overall: This is an absolutely incredible release. Being big supporters of the UK underground scene, we have heard so many incredible bands over the last few years, but few releases have excited me for the future quite like this one. Every track is amazing, Downing did a phenomenal job on the production and the band all got to show off their amazing talent throughout. They seem primed to follow in the footsteps of Those Damn Crows, Florence Black and Massive Wagons and transcend the scene, though they’ve arguably done that already alongside Napalm. If you are at all a fan of metal, this is an absolute must-listen. I’ll surely be listening to it a lot moving forward, and don’t be surprised to see it high on our albums of the year list come December!

The Score: 9.5/10

Features, Reviews

The Heavy Souls, The Soul Revival and Eddie & The Wolves Rock the Gifford!

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Last weekend, we headed down to one of Wolverhamptons best live music venues to see three of the rising stars in the UK underground rock scene. We’ve seen all three before (in theory) and are big fans, so we were already excited and ready for a great night. Check out what we thought of it anyway though, just in case our opinions changed!

The Wolves started things off this time to a surprisingly already packed-out crowd. You all know the drill by now. Firstly, thank you to everyone who came out early to catch the band, and I hope you enjoyed the show! Everyone seemed to, at least judging by the warm reception! And it certainly felt good from my end! It was our first gig of the year and I’d like to think we came out of the gate swinging! We even treated everyone to a new song, aren’t we kind?! We’re planning a big year in 2026, and are hoping to play live as much as possible, so if you missed it I’m sure you’ll see us soon!

Next up were the amazing Soul Revival. We last caught these guys back in October, and somehow they’ve gotten even better since! The bands energy was off the charts, and they all sounded excellent together throughout. Steve Nunn is an incredible frontman and vocalist, and really held the whole crowd in the palm of his hand throughout their set. And the band have only been going a few years yet have already got an incredibly solid catalogue of awesome, boot stompin’ rock songs under the belt, them all sounding great live! There is no wonder they are making a name for themselves and playing so much currently, because they are quickly morphing into one of the best live bands on the scene currently. I am already desperate to see them live again, and am becoming a bigger fan each time I see them!

Closing out the night were our good friends The Heavy Souls. They were everywhere it felt last year, and much like with Soul Revival, seem to be getting somehow better and better with each show. They have such an air and aura to them, definitely crying themselves like a big band, and it makes it make their performance even bigger because of it! Even on a smaller stage, they own it, and all of them put on a show the crowd couldn’t look away from. And, the band are as tight and polished as anything, each working their asses off and playing their parts to perfection. And, setlist wise, it was also awesome! We’re a big fan of their debut album here, and it’s always awesome to hear any of it live. And, the fact that we also got brand new songs too to hype up their next stage only added to the experience and set! Their live sound is incredible, matching up perfectly to that of the tracks, and even in smaller venues like this, they really put on a show for their fans. They are set to have another big year in 2026, and this was one hell of a way to start it off!

And there you have it, folks. Three awesome hard rock bands packing out one of the best small venues in the UK, and making for one hell of a night! I cannot recommend seeing any of the bands enough, all put on one hell of a show. And, if you’re in the UK, there’ll be plenty of opportunity to do that in 2026. And also, shoutout to the venue once again; it’s a great space, they treat everyone well and the sound is always awesome. Another fantastic night!

Reviews

Soldatenschicksale: Kanonenfiber’s Best Album Yet?

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Album number three from the anti-war black/death metal band is set to drop on Friday, and I couldn’t be more excited! We loved their last album, to our surprise, so when we saw this one come across our emails there was no way we weren’t doing a deep dive! Join us in checking out all the glorious heaviness!

The album opens in a pretty punk way, with a marching drumbeat over the top of what I assume is some sort of old war speech. It all builds perfectly, the screams exploding into the chorus alongside some insanely fast drumming. The same break-neck pace keeps up through the verse, staying heavy and feeling like the perfect blend of death, black metal and hardcore punk. The pre is low and menacing too, building perfectly back into that massive, surprisingly catchy chorus. And, while I have no idea what is being said, I do like the concept of the band using its music to commemorate all those who have fallen in wars, outlining the true horrors of them. A particularly poignant message in these current worrying times. It’s a really excellent track to open the album on, and definitely a big early highlight for me!

‘Heizer Tenner’ once again builds masterfully in its intro; some ambient stuff and a low guitar riff running before it explodes into the massive black metal stuff. It’s very in-your-face I’m the best way and sounds pretty epic, almost giving off Rotting Christ vibes. I love the more straight-forward verses too, going more death metal and then adding in the black metal stuff for the choruses. The dynamics throughout are incredible, dropping down and building back up throughout, keeping it constantly interesting. That scream on its own near the end is incredible too, having so much emotion and anger in its delivery. It’s another damn good song!

After a brief interlude track, we get the AWESOME, stomping riffing of ‘Kampf und Sturm’. It almost feels industrial, adding yet another great element to their sound. Of course it then heads quickly into the chaotic black metal stuff, but that riff was a really great, unexpected addition. And that slower almost-breakdown in the middle is AMAZING, too! This is another incredible song, and one that easily makes it onto our playlist!

Starting sinister with that riff, ‘Die Havarie’ keeps a slower pace, once again reminding me of the newer Rotting Christ stuff. It sounds awesome, again setting a brilliant atmosphere as it builds and builds. Once again, we get plenty of heavy black-punk afterwards, but the scene the intro sets is amazing. The heavy, slower pace still returns for the pre-choruses too, bringing it back in an awesome way! Then we get an almost power metal-infused chorus, which is also excellent! It’s a real epic song throughout, drawing in so many different sounds and influences yet sounding like nothing else really around today. Yet again, it’s another fantastic heavier metal song!

The two part ‘Der Füsilier’ is a masterclass of all things heavy. The main vein of black metal is plenty present, but it has a lot of death, hardcore and noise (pun intended) throughout too! It’s 10 minutes of epicness, and both parts fit together perfectly. I imagine the story being told is really cool, and I’m going to have to track down the lyrics and translate them! The two parts are definitely worth a listen together, and are once again high points of the album.

The final two tracks on the album, ‘The Yankee Division March’ and ‘Die Fastnacht der Hölle’ are both awesome heavy songs again, and the perfect way to cap off an album like this! I liked the little Rammstein nod in the latter track, it definitely being my favourite song from that band. Both songs are amazing, and while their sound did get a little similar this late into the release, it was hard not to still love it. The closer is honestly one of my favourite songs on the release, though all of them are amazing!

Overall: This is a damn good, damn heavy album. The band are such incredibly talented musicians, and Noise is such a fantastic songwriter, that they really keep going from strength to strength. As much as I loved their last release, this may even inch ahead of it into my favourite! If you are at all a fan of the heavier side of metal, do yourselves a favour and check this out immediately! I need to see them live soon!

The Score: 8.5/10

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All Time Low, Mayday Parade and Taylor Acorn Rock Manchester Arena!

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The first gig for us of 2026 and it was a huge one! 15k+ people packing out the biggest arena in the UK for three amazing pop punk bands! And, while it wasn’t quite the lineup intended (shoutout to both Four Years Strong and The Paradox for sadly having to drop out), it was still an absolutely stellar lineup that we have been excited for for months. And it was somehow our first time at the new arena, so we get to check out that too. Surprisingly, it was nice and easy and stress-free to get in, an even bigger bonus! Read on to find out what we thought of the night!

First up was a slightly last-minute addition to the bill, the fast-rising star Taylor Acorn. Honestly, she was a great choice to open the show! Her energy was infectious and she sounded great, definitely winning over plenty of new fans in the crowd, including us! And her voice live was incredible; packed with power, emotion and some soaring notes. Whether it was slower stuff or faster punk numbers, it all sounded great. It gave off slight country vibes even at times, like punk-country, which I loved. The two guy in her band worked their asses off too, although the absence of a bassist and second guitar was felt a touch, as both were on track. Still, as a slightly rushed last-minute addition, they smashed it out of the park, and she definitely has a new fan in me!

Mayday Parade were the band my wife was there to see. I never quite got into them on track, no matter how hard I tried. Well, I can now officially say: I get it! Hearing the songs in a live setting finally got me into them, and I have been listening a fair bit the last couple of days since. It helps that they heavied stuff up in that setting, even their older stuff, but it meant that the set had a great energy throughout! From opening on a new one, ‘Under my Sweater’ to a crash course in their biggest album with the likes of ‘Jersey’ and ‘Black Cat’ and, of course, closing on ‘Jamie All Over’, it was all so damn good! The band played their asses off too, putting on one hell of a performance to a crowd that were going nuts from start to finish. Derek is one hell of a frontman too, bouncing around the stage like it was still 2007 and keeping the crowd on their toes throughout. They have very much won a new fan in me, and I would definitely see them live again!

After another break (and I assume a slight delay with us getting three intro songs in the dark before they came on) the headliners triumphantly took the stage. A fun opening vignette concludes with Alex appearing at the front of the walkway, acoustic in hand to play ‘[cold open]’. Having a packed out crowd singing it immediately back to him clearly took him back, getting slightly overwhelmed but clearly happy. After the brief intro track, the whole band explode into newer single ‘SUCKERPUNCH’. It was easily one of my favourite songs of last year, and it sounded so good live!

From there, we got two full hours of incredible live rock music, from five absolute masters. Following the opener with two massive classics in ‘Weightless’ and ‘Poppin’ Champagne’, we are taken through a tour of the bands incredible two plus decade discography. Older stuff like ‘Backstreat Serenade’ and ‘Time Bomb’ to newer stuff like ‘Monsters’ and ‘Sleepwalking’ to collab songs in ‘PMA’ and ‘Hate This Song’. Heck, the latter in particular was amazing, the crowd loved it, I’m a big I Prevail fan and Alex surprisingly pulled off Eric’s screams damn well! Then you have the latest album, which we loved here at Overtone, which sounded just as good as anything else they played! ‘Little Bit’ and ‘Sugar’ were big live highlights. And the encore run of ‘The Weather’ into ‘Lost In Stereo’ into ‘Dear Maria’ was one of the best I’ve ever seen.

As for the show itself, it was excellent. The video effects on the side-screens were fun, and the big screen at the back flicked between live footage and some great graphics and video bits. Meanwhile, all the different block-colour platforms added some great depth to the stage and fit the theme well. Heck, the band even colour coordinated, each of the four wearing a different one. And of course, we got plenty of great pyro throughout, too. And the band, of course, played their asses off. They are known to be a good live band anyway, but they really brought it here. They all bounced around that stage from start to finish, and clearly all were having a blast. Alex had the crowd in the palm of his hand throughout, people barely even talking through the slow songs or during him interacting between songs, which says a lot. They all seemed so appreciative to be up on stage doing what they do, and it made the crowd enjoy it even more. An absolutely amazing set that I won’t be forgetting any time soon!

Overall, it was a really amazing night of live music! All three acts brought it, and All Time Low are honestly one of the best live bands I’ve seen in years. I cannot recommend seeing any of them enough, and I truly think ATL have finally found that final gear out here to push them into the upper echelon of bands. I am already desperate to see them again, and would certainly see Mayday and Taylor again too. If they are anywhere near you any time soon, go along and see them, you certainly won’t be disappointed. Heck, I’d even recommend Co-op Live, it’s a good venue for an arena. A truly fantastic night!